Yesterday, I asked readers to share their feelings about contests: what they like, dislike, and any kind of comments they wish to share. From the feedback, it seems apparent that most readers are unhappy with how many hoops they have to jump through in order to even think they have a shot at winning a contest. And although many stated that they will do extra entries, many claim that the amount of those entries is based solely on the prize given away.
Here is the Breakdown:
These finding are based on a total of 151 individual received responses.
Do you regularly enter contests?
Yes: 142 - 94%
No: 9 - 6%
Which type of Contest do you enjoy most?
Single entry (just name, email, etc.):
121 - 80%
Contests with multiple entries:
30 - 20%
If offered, do you participate in the extra entries option?
Yes: 124 - 82%
No: 27 - 18%
Which extra entries do you regularly do?
| Twitter Links |
| 72 | 48% |
| Sidebar Links |
| 63 | 42% |
| Follower |
| 136 | 90% |
| Blog Posts |
| 26 | 17% |
| Multiple Comments |
| 14 | 9% |
| Twitter Follower |
| 82 | 54% |
| Adding Blogger to your Blog Roll |
| 42 | 28% |
| Commenting on Interview (if one) |
| 64 | 42% |
| Commenting on requested posts |
| 57 | 38% |
| Grabbing Blog's Button |
| 33 | 22% |
| Other |
| 8 | 5% |
*People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
Which extra entries do you avoid?
| Twitter Links |
| 61 | 40% |
| Sidebar Links |
| 72 | 48% |
| Follower |
| 8 | 5% |
| Blog Posts |
| 101 | 67% |
| Multiple Comments |
| 87 | 58% |
| Twitter Follower |
| 47 | 31% |
| Adding Blogger to your Blog Roll |
| 71 | 47% |
| Commenting on Interview (if one) |
| 38 | 25% |
| Commenting on requested posts |
| 47 | 31% |
| Grabbing Blog's Button |
| 84 | 56% |
| Other |
| 7 | 5% |
*People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
My Thoughts:
Going into this survey, I was not 100% sure the responses that I would get. However, I believed that I had a good idea as to how readers would respond. While in some cases I was correct (contest participants generally avoid blog posts), I was surprised to find that participants overall do not mind becoming a blog's follower. But it is important to note that more than one person commented that just because they become a follower, does not make them a loyal reader.
In my case, I plan on shifting more toward simply entries. This is due to the time consuming process of calculating all the extra entries. And I believe that it is hypocritical of me to ask others to complete tasks that I personally would not complete in another's contest. In addition, I must take all of my readers into consideration. Many stated that they dislike the extra entries simply because they do not have a blog or a way to complete these entries.
At this point, my contest participants will continue to be entered via Google Documents Form due to its privacy and ease of organizing everything for me. I will continue to simply ask for: Name, Email Address, and Age. However, I am on the fence about asking for links. Personally, I love using links for extra entries due to it spreading the word about my contests. However, this is a topic that will require more thought on my part since the responses on this was torn: some disliked it and some understood its purpose.
Now to the fun stuff...
Your Thoughts:
An overwhelming number of responses said that they do not enjoy the hoops that many contests ask them to go through. While many said that they understand why certain extra entries are included, a vast majority explained that less is more. And a few even explained that they will participate in some of the extra entries provided, but it is too much, they may skip the contest all together.
There were more responses than I anticipated in regards to those who do not have Facebook, Twitter, or even blogs who find it frustrating when hosts ask for these type of entries. Some explain that they do not have these things for a reason, and will not even bother with a contest if this is part of the extra entries.
An interesting comment that I kept seeing was that some contest hosts are over complicating things. For example, one comment pointed out +10 or even +20 for an extra entry item and questioned it overall purpose. They explained that they believed that the host was, in the end, just making things more difficult for themselves.
In regard to how they like to fill out contests, many commented (without me even asking) that they enjoy Google Document forms due to its easy of completion as well as privacy. For those contests which are entered through the host's comment form, few said they disliked having to put each entry into a new comment especially when word verification is present.
Bottomline: Contest entrants want contests to be simple. They want to be able to enter a contest probably in less than 2-3 minutes without having to spend eternity doing this or that task in order to be entered. And while some enjoy extra entries, they too would like some of the extras to be toned down a bit.
Final Thoughts:
While it is obivous that for the most part that readers do not enjoy over the top extra entries, some do enjoy the advantages that they can bring. Sadly, I know that we cannot please everyone. But I believe that contest hosts have a duty to remember their audience, and try to find as happy a middle as possible.
Most bloggers want their readers to enter the contests as well as add to their readership. Yet as many pointed out, contests to do not always equal loyal followers or readers. In addition, hosts must also consider that all entrants do not always have equal footing in what they can do. And while I understand the purpose of using links, followers, blog posts, etc. I realize that it can often times turn off readers due to them believing that others have an unfair advantage just because they do not have a blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Through this survey, I have realized that this is their choice and who am I to penalize them for something they do not want to participate in.
I realize that contests are meant to be fun for my readers and sometimes even a reward.. a thank you for being loyal to me or for enjoying what I do. I am in no way telling other bloggers that you need to change the way that you run your contests. At the end of the day, it is up to each host to realize what works best for them and their readers. I am merely providing some thoughts to think on.
Thank you to everyone who participated in my survey. This was an eye opening experience to say the least.
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